


Hopeless Wish

by Morningdew12



Category: Tales of Berseria
Genre: Angst, Fluff, Gen, Platonic/Familial Love
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-09
Updated: 2017-02-09
Packaged: 2018-09-23 04:17:36
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,432
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9640367
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Morningdew12/pseuds/Morningdew12
Summary: Morgrim knew Shigure was strong, physically, mentally, and emotionally. He never had time to be weak, even in his childhood. He was an exorcist legate, but before anything, he was human. And although Shigure tried to hide it, Morgrim didn’t need words to understand his quiet longing for a different life.





	

**Author's Note:**

> In case you guys haven't seen my tumblr shinigami-of-van-eltia, you should know that I'm Berseria trash. And trash for all these characters, especially the Rangetsu bros.

“Oh, that feels heavenly…” Morgrim mused in her mind, leaning into the hand that was stroking the back of her ear. She purred, leaving all her weight in Shigure’s arms and fully relaxing. She was heavy for a cat, yes (and don’t point that out to her), but to Shigure her weight was nothing. Besides, he was half-laying-half sitting up on his bed, with Morgrim in his lap, enjoying one of the few moments of free time he had that was not being used by his exorcist duties.

Luckily, Shigure’s rigorous training was incorporated into said exorcist duties, so he didn’t need to worry too much about that in his free time. Although some days, in case he felt extra fire than usual within him, he would train at night until he could barely pick up his scabbard.

But today, since he went on that mission to Port Cadnix, Artorius recognized the long journey, and Shigure and Morgrim were spared two whole hours to themselves, a rare occurrence indeed. But this time, even though Shigure made it almost unnoticeable, there was a slight air of sorrow around him, and Morgrim was concerned. She could only guess it was because he saw Rokurou today. Morgrim didn’t think there would be a problem, considering how pumped and excited Shigure was earlier. He wasn’t like that because he was reunited with his youngest brother. He wasn’t allowed to think like that. Instead it was simply because it offered a new challenge to Shigure. After being separated for more than three years, only to see Rokurou as a daemon with his same self, seeing him invigorated him. Maybe, just maybe, his little brother would finally be able to stand a chance against him…

So then why did Morgrim feel that slight sorrow around Shigure?

They were close, yes, and Morgrim was Shigure’s best friend, but she never dared to look into his heart, not once. Before, she thought there would be nothing wrong with the always-chipper Shigure, so the need to never really arose. And in case if he was getting malevolent (which would be incredibly unlikely) she would be able to sense it right away.

And even then, Shigure was such a free spirit that she would never have to; she always was able to tell what he was thinking, if he was frustrated or happy.

But this time, Morgrim couldn’t be absolutely certain about his thoughts or feelings on this matter. He was almost utterly calm, his hands incredibly gentle, giving off no indication that he wasn’t well. And she even looked up at him to see his facial expression. He gave her a wide grin.

After a few minutes of ear stroking, suddenly it all hit her. The reason why was simply because seeing his youngest brother brought out his innermost wish; that they all didn’t have to surpass and kill each other. She has’t realized until now, after Shigure was relaxed and calm, his emotions now surfacing (if just a little in this case). Shigure got caught in the moment before, but now that he’s had a chance to calm down, he realized the reality of the situation. He would’ve loved for his brothers (now only brother) to surpass him, but he can’t have that. One of them has to die. He’s been raised like this, so why is he even thinking this way? It would be impossible to change the way of the Rangetsu clan and how it works. But still, sometimes Shigure couldn’t help himself but to think of that possibilty. It hasn’t bothered him as much as it is right now, since before for him it would be a “what if, hey that would be weird haha”.

Morgrim decided he should pamper him a little as well. It would be the first time Shigure’s tried to supress something, so she would have to help. Certainly it would catch him by surprise, since he thought for some reason he could hide his feelings against a malak with its free will.

Morgrim rubbed her head against Shigure’s hand still behind her ear, and he slightly pet her head in return. She lifted her short arm up, and held it against his chest, leaving her other paw near his shoulder. He took his free hand and gently grasped her paw near his shoulder, stroking his thumb against it. She purred, moving her head near where her other paw was against his chest. She then took her other arm from his grasp and tried to wrap it around his chest as best as she could with its short length.

“Oh, Morgrim? Aren’t you awfully cuddly today,” Shigure said with a chuckle, expertisely hiding his surprise. He knew some days she could be extra cuddly, and today ought to be one of those days, or so he thought. The cuddling didn’t bother him at all though, and he put his hand against her back, pulling her closer. He lowered his head so he could rub his cheek against the top of her head, feeling the extraordinarily soft fur.

“You ok, Morgrim?” He asked in a soft voice. Morgrim nodded.

“Of course I am. Why wouldn’t I be alright, with this wonderful care of yours?”

“Haha, I guess you’re right. And the way you’re hugging me right now is pretty adorable. I love it.” Morgrim knew how much Shigure adored cats, so hearing him say that made her happy. She rubbed her head against his chest even more. He then put his other hand against her back and brought her even closer, still rubbing his cheek against her head. He was trying to hide the emotional comfort it gave him.

“Aww, you’re so soft.” He pulled his head back and gave her a big smile. “Back at my home, we only had a few cats, so having such a fluffy one here really makes it interesting being in the Abbey. Before all this, I practically gave up on finding my brother and my family.“

“Shigure…”

“But hey!” he exclaimed, “I’ve found my place. And it offers a great opportunity to train, even if everyone by now is pretty weak.”

“And then today you found your youngest brother,” Morgrim stated.

“Yeah, and as a daemon. It was pretty surprising, yeah, but at least it’ll offer a good challenge. And maybe he’ll actually stand a chance now. Things are gonna get interesting,” Shigure said, feigning the excited tone in his voice. Morgrim could tell he was faking it this time. After all, she figured out that deep down he didn’t want any of this. And Rokurou being a daemon didn’t make it any better. His little brother’s death was inevitable, for the Abbey and for the Rangetsu clan.

The sorrowful air Morgrim felt had a small, almost unnoticeable increase, until it died down to the level before. And Shigure wasn’t stupid. He was actually way smarter than he lets on, and he knew that no matter how hard he tried to keep it inside, he couldn’t hide his wish from Morgrim. He might as well just let it slowly creep out of him, onto the surface.

“Shigure, I’m sorry.”

“For what, Morgrim? You didn’t do anything.”

She lifted her head to look at him. “…I know you didn’t want it to be like this.”

“Eh, no reason to worry about it now. What’s done is done, and there’s no way to change the rules of our lives.”

"… That may be true, but you don’t have to hide it from me." Perhaps she shouldn’t have said it like that, but Shigure didn’t seem to take any offense by it. 

He sighed, and after a long moment, he replied. “To an older brother, just hearing the term “little brother” fills you with a feeling of admiration and… love. It’s a name that makes you want to protect them, and be the best role model you could be.“ Shigure ran his hand over Morgrim’s back in a passive rhythym. “And what am I doing right now? Trying to kill him, smiting him to make him feel that anger and frustration he always felt whenever he couldn’t beat me. It makes him try harder, sure, and now that he’s a daemon, things might be different. No, they will be different. But I don’t know why he’s affecting me so much, when all of my other brothers are either dead or already daemons.”

Now Morgrim hadn’t thought about that. She knew the possibility of his other brothers’ fates, but the only thing she knew about Rokurou was that he was sent to Titania for three years, after Shigure ran away. He didn’t talk about him, let alone his other brothers that much before this. 

“I can already tell you don’t want to kill him, Shigure. You spared his life twice already today.” 

“The same can’t be said for him, though. I just wish there wasn’t any death or daemons involved. True, it was his own frustration and anger that caused him to become a daemon on the Advent, but it was all because those feelings were directed at me. Those kind of feelings shouldn’t even exist in a family. And I did spare his life today, but..” 

“But now that he’s a daemon, there’s no guarantee that he will spare you. And now that you’re part of the Abbey, and a legate on top of that, it makes it a certain fact.” 

“Yeah. To be honest, this was the only place I could go, and although Artorius and I don’t get along he still accepted me for my strength. Gave me a new name. Now keep in mind that doesn’t make me like him at all. I still don’t agree wih his methods for peace, and there won’t be a time I ever will if he keeps it up.” 

“Yes, yes, of course. Neither do I, but I’m a malak, so what can I do about it,” Morgrim stated with a tinge of humor in her voice. Shigure laughed, a little too bitterly for her tastes.

"I guess so.”

“But you gave me my free will as soon as we made our pact, so I know you’re not here out of a desire to be here. Either that or you don’t believe in malakhim slavery. Oh, I know it’s both.” 

“That’s right. And if I hadn’t met Artorius , I probably never would’ve met my baby bro Rokurou again. And you,” Shigure smiled, poking his finger at her cheek. In turn, she put her paw on his. 

“If only you and your brother could understand your respective situations…” 

“He probably would never. I barely knew any of my brothers in my childhood, and I still don’t. Sure, I know Rokurou the most since he was usually my training partner and he surpassed my other brothers, but we literally couldn’t think of anything else outside of our training. The Rangetsu clan was never about family, only strength. It was always our tradition to decide the best Stormhowl and Stormquell. And despite all this, I still wished I was able to get to know them. But I never let that thought surface, ever, until now.” The air around them had a steady mood. No matter how much Shigure wanted this, there wasn’t a single trace of malevolence in him. Even for a legate, it was still incredible. 

“I’m sure Rokurou would’ve wanted the same thing, a normal relationship with his family.”

“Hmm, maybe. But he sure as hell isn’t gonna think it now,” Shigure laughed.

Morgrim hummed. “These are truly unfortunate circumstances for you two.” He blinked, before coming to a realization. 

“Oh, so that’s why you were apologizing earlier and trying to hug me! You figured me out long before then. But what was I expecting when it came to a malak." 

"I wouldn’t completely base it on my malak capibilities. I think it’s also because of our close relationship.”

“Hah, alright, alright Morgrim. But even so, thanks for listening to me being all emotional and stuff. It was pretty good getting all these thoughts out, even if they are dumb in the end." 

"Oh, they’re never dumb. So, what are you planning on doing from here on out with Rokurou?" 

”… See how things go from here. He has definitely become better since the last time we’ve fought, so… let’s just hope he can develop his own version of Stormquell, in whatever form, as long as it stays true to him. And after that, hopefully he and his blade will find its mark.“

"Stormquell? Shigure, are you…" 

"I doubt he’s gonna do it quickly, but its gonna happen either way. I always knew Rokurou had a certain stubborn fire in his heart. To be honest, that was the main reason why I made him so irritable earlier; I love seeing that fire. And the other reason, obviously, being because I pretty much gave up on any mends we could make when it came to our family." 

”…A fire almost the same as yours, that couldn’t be put out no matter how hard you two tried.“ 

"Huh. Sounds like something Seres would say.”

“It is, in fact. We would often chat, and since we both had our free will, we would voice our opinions of the Abbey to each other.”

“I never knew that. But I always did know there was something special about her." 

"Indeed. I can’t help but feel happy that she was able to leave the Abbey.”

"True. Sometimes I want to leave too, but where else would I go in a continent I know nothing about? And besides, a legate leaving? It’d cause too much annoying chatter.“

"I wonder what Rokurou would think if you left.”

“He’d probably use that opportunity to come right after me, and fight with no distractions. It would be a weird scenario, huh." Morgrim adjusted herself in Shigure’s arms, moving to a more sleeping-like position. She closed her eyes. He was used to her just falling asleep on him, so it was no big deal. "Thanks, Morgrim. I always enjoy my time with you.” She made a small purr, dozing off. Shigure gave her one last stroke before ceasing completely, lowering his voice to a whisper. “And I’ll be waiting, Rokurou… Hah, that idiot has no idea how much he’s impressed me, or how proud I am of him. How happy my baby bro makes me.”

“And here I am, being comforted by a little fat cat.” He smiled, before closing his eyes and drifting off to the world of dreams, with Morgrim in his lap.


End file.
